Objective
Cellulolytic clostridia are important in the anaerobic digestion of agricultural residues and of MSW to produce biogas. An understanding of biological cellulose degradation is important for optimising the anaerobic digestion of these waste materials, either singly or in various combinations, and for the exploitation of potential energy crops such as Sorghum and Miscanthus, which could provide extra income for farmers.
The most widely used methods of waste matter treatment are dumping and incineration, both of which contribute to the greenhouse effect. The closed carbon cycle of biomethanisation is a promising way for mitigating the increase in atmospheric CO2 attendant on continued use of fossil fuels for energy. An additional benefit of biomethanisation is a reduction in the volume of solid residue requiring disposal. Moreover, the residue after digestion of some materials is an excellent fertiliser.
Biomethanisation of urban waste, sometimes mixed with agricultural residues, is now an industrial reality, but for cellulose-rich wastes bacterial cellulolysis remains a bottleneck. We seek to remove this bottleneck by improving the efficiency of cellulose hydrolysis. As a result, biomethanisation of urban waste could become both economically and ecologically attractive as an alternative to dumping or incineration.
Cellulolytic clostridia have surface protuberances called cellulosome and cellulolysis results from a cyclic process of adhesion colonisation, release and re-colonisation. Release occurs when the substrate is exhausted and/or adhesion sites on the insoluble cellulose fibrils are saturated. Once released, the organisms undergo carbon starvation and loss of viability or dormancy can ensue. The very recent realisation of this fact is a new and fundamentally important insight into the dynamics of anaerobic bacterial cellulolysis. Maintenance of viability of released cells is crucial for efficient re-colonisation. The objectives of the proposed research are to understand and deal with the periodic carbon starvation to which these bacteria are subjected.
The research team includes a geneticist, a physiologist and a SME engaged in anaerobic digestion of MSW. We will define the conditions giving optimal cellulolytic activity and viability, without dormancy (sporulation), of released bacteria. Mutants of Clostridium cellullyticum with enhanced starvation resistance and altered sporulation potential will be selected and the regulation of gene expression during carbon starvation elucidated. This information, together with the mutant strains we isolate, will be employed in the pilot plant to improve digestion of cellulosic materials in agricultural residues and MSW. A spin-off of the proposed research is that it may enable the precise roles of the many components of the bacterial cellulosome to be explored by creating defined mutations in their structural genes in vivo.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology environmental biotechnology bioremediation bioreactors
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels biomass energy
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology bacteriology
- engineering and technology environmental engineering waste management waste treatment processes
- agricultural sciences agricultural biotechnology biomass
You need to log in or register to use this function
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Data not available
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
SY23 3DA Aberystwyth
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.